O-Sensei used the formalized path of Misogi-no-Gyo. He taught it, demonstrated it, lectured on it, all serving to pass it to the next generation. However, just like in any student/teacher scenario there is the top students in the class and everyone else. The top students may, in very short order, qualify as an assistant to the instructor, an instructor, themselves or even pass over the knowledge and abilities of the instructor. Of course, experience is another thing entirely and that comes with time.

I have always said, and will continue to say we should seek out and train with the absolute highest level teacher within our art, as early in our training as possible. From there, no matter where we choose to go, our training will flow from that point forward without needing to backtrack or worse, invalidate considerable amounts of our training and effort.

To me it just makes sense to start with what O-Sensei laid out as his training methodology - Misogi-no-Gyo. It also makes sense that Misogi in and of itself is not the be all, end all when it comes to what anyone should choose to study in an effort to move forward martially, spiritually or what have you. Common sense also tells me that those who choose to emulate DRAJ, Anukai, or IMA concepts alone will one day need to explore Misogi-No-Gyo to truly have any level of understanding of the Art of the Founder. Whether their foray into these other things, martially wonderful as they are, results in someone moving forward into Misogi or results in someone having to backtrack to Misogi is another issue altogether.

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Beautiful Post Shaun and I especially loved what you said here. I could not have said it better.